"Women Drawing Water"

In: Overland Route; Part of our Paintings gallery

Date:
c.1850s

Medium:
Watercolour on paper heightened with white bodycolour

Description:
Close to Suez, and far from the Nile and all other sources of water, the water in Joseph's well was 'brackish' and poor in quality. Women were responsible for collecting water and used the opportunity to gossip and "set no value on time"! (Taken from an album of thirty-one watercolours, recording the Diorama of the Overland Mail Route from Southampton to Calcutta, and presented to Brodie McGhie Willcox, one of the founding fathers of P&O.)